St. Louis Cardinals players and history
2,236 players have played at least one regular-season game for the St. Louis Cardinals franchise from 1882 to 2025. Before today's name it played as the St. Louis Brown Stockings (1882), St. Louis Browns (1883–1898) and St. Louis Perfectos (1899). Stan Musial played the most games for the club (3,026, 1941–1944, 1946–1963).
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Most games for the Cardinals
| # | Player | Pos | Seasons | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Stan Musial | OF | 1941–1944, 1946–1963 | 3,026 |
| 2 |  Lou Brock | OF | 1964–1979 | 2,289 |
| 3 |  Yadier Molina | C | 2004–2022 | 2,226 |
| 4 |  Ozzie Smith | SS | 1982–1996 | 1,990 |
| 5 |  Enos Slaughter | OF | 1938–1942, 1946–1953 | 1,820 |
| 6 |  Albert Pujols | 1B | 2001–2011, 2022 | 1,814 |
| 7 |  Red Schoendienst | 2B | 1945–1956, 1961–1963 | 1,795 |
| 8 |  Curt Flood | OF | 1958–1969 | 1,738 |
| 9 |  Ken Boyer | 3B | 1955–1965 | 1,667 |
| 10 |  Willie McGee | OF | 1982–1990, 1996–1999 | 1,661 |
| 11 |  Ray Lankford | OF | 1990–2001, 2004 | 1,580 |
| 12 |  Rogers Hornsby | 2B | 1915–1926, 1933 | 1,580 |
| 13 |  Julian Javier | 2B | 1960–1971 | 1,578 |
| 14 |  Ted Simmons | C | 1968–1980 | 1,564 |
| 15 |  Marty Marion | SS | 1940–1950 | 1,502 |
| 16 |  Jim Bottomley | 1B | 1922–1932 | 1,392 |
| 17 |  Matt Carpenter | 3B | 2011–2021, 2024 | 1,388 |
| 18 |  Frankie Frisch | 2B | 1927–1937 | 1,311 |
| 19 | Terry Moore | OF | 1935–1942, 1946–1948 | 1,298 |
| 20 |  Joe Medwick | OF | 1932–1940, 1947–1948 | 1,216 |
| 21 |  Dal Maxvill | SS | 1962–1972 | 1,205 |
| 22 | Pepper Martin | OF | 1928, 1930–1940, 1944 | 1,189 |
| 23 |  Tim McCarver | C | 1959–1961, 1963–1969, 1973–1974 | 1,181 |
| 24 |  Keith Hernandez | 1B | 1974–1983 | 1,165 |
| 25 |  Bill White | 1B | 1959–1965, 1969 | 1,113 |
Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licences, each credited on the MLB photo credits page.
Cardinals players in 2025
The 12 players with the most Cardinals games among those who played for the club in 2025: Nolan Arenado (3B, 708 games since 2021), Lars Nootbaar (OF, 527 games since 2021), Brendan Donovan (2B, 492 games since 2022), Nolan Gorman (2B, 426 games since 2022), Alec Burleson (OF, 414 games since 2022), Willson Contreras (C, 344 games since 2023), Masyn Winn (SS, 316 games since 2023), Jordan Walker (OF, 279 games since 2023), Ryan Helsley (P, 275 games since 2019), Miles Mikolas (P, 206 games since 2018), Ivan Herrera (DH, 203 games since 2022) and Victor Scott (OF, 191 games since 2024).
Old names and cities
- St. Louis Brown Stockings: 1882
- St. Louis Browns: 1883–1898
- St. Louis Perfectos: 1899
- St. Louis Cardinals: today's name.
Every season under an old name counts for the St. Louis Cardinals in the MLB Grid and on the played-for-both lists.
Played for both the Cardinals and…
Reds 368Cubs 329Phillies 323Giants 290Pirates 289Dodgers 267Braves 242Orioles 212Guardians 201Athletics 194Yankees 188Red Sox 183White Sox 179Tigers 161Mets 144Angels 133Astros 129Nationals 129Padres 127Twins 126Rangers 123Royals 111Brewers 108Rockies 92Mariners 86Blue Jays 86Marlins 58Diamondbacks 57Rays 49
Each list has every player who played for both clubs, with his seasons and games for each. All MLB team pairs
St. Louis Cardinals: questions
How many players have played for the St. Louis Cardinals?
2,236, counting every player with at least one regular-season game for the franchise from 1882 to 2025, under any of its names.
Who has played the most games for the Cardinals?
Stan Musial, with 3,026 regular-season games (1941–1944, 1946–1963), ahead of Lou Brock (2,289) and Yadier Molina (2,226).
Which team shares the most players with the Cardinals?
The Reds: 368 players played for both. The fewest: the Rays, with 49.
Facts from the SABR Lahman Baseball Database (CC BY-SA 3.0). Team logos are trademarks of their respective teams (logos via TheSportsDB). Not affiliated with MLB or the St. Louis Cardinals. Credits